From the Embers (The Born in Flames Trilogy) (20 page)

Zane smirked and then knelt to the earth, placing his palm flat against the asphalt. He was tapping into the earth element. “Tremora,” he chanted, letting his energy flow deep into the earth.

Fenn appeared next and dropped too, hatred in his eyes as he chanted alongside his brother. Together, their energy shook the ground beneath us. Zordon looked amused.

Lexi and I dropped down as well, giving every bit of power we had to the earth. Finally, the earth began to listen. The tremor that started beneath us cracked right before us and raced towards Zordon.

He jumped into the air, barely missing the hole that gave way beneath him, preventing him from landing. “Do not fool yourselves into thinking that you actually have a chance against me,” he barked, crooked laughter on the edge of his voice. He looked like a black plume of smoke as he weaved from side to side.

“Come down and fight like a man,” Fenn shouted. The pain and rage in his voice made me turn my head. This was his first encounter with Zordon—his father.

Zordon’s tongue clicked against his teeth. “Such a brave young man, fighting for the woman he loves.” He flew over top of us. I spun around just as he landed directly in front of me. “Boo!” he said in my face.

I dropped to all fours and swung my leg out, swiping his feet out from under him, a move I was quickly growing fond of. He barely caught himself in time to prevent a fall. Anger flashed across his face.

“Pulsecto!” I shouted, using the unexpected moment to my advantage. The spell hit him in the chest. It didn’t electrify him, but it shocked him just enough to give me time to shoot flames at him. I opened my mouth and let them fly.

Astral sent out a wave of his own magic, covering us in a protective barrier. “The Necros are dead. You must go.”

I locked eyes with Zordon, covered in my flames. Flames that didn’t harm him. Murder was in his eyes. We had only seconds behind Astral’s magic.

I opened a portal back to the Orient Lyceum. “Jump!” I yelled at everyone. For a moment, Lexi looked hesitant, but then she jumped, and then Zane. Fenn took my hand. I turned back to Astral.

“Go!” he shouted, turning back for Zordon. Fenn yanked me through before I could do anything.

On the other side, Kaede was right in front of us out in front of the Lyceum. “Adam said you needed help! My men are ready.” I peered around him to see an army of soldiers at attention. “What were you doing in the other realm anyway?” He looked angry. I was in no mood to explain myself.

Soothe came up behind him with portal spray. I knocked it out of his hand. “Astral’s on the other side!” I shouted, turning back to re-open the portal.

Soothe picked up the spray and stepped in front of me. “And he will return,” he said, moving me out of the way. He took his time spraying the air, swaying back and forth as if he was dancing. He shot me a smirk.

He must have known this was going to happen. He was a Seer who saw my fate. He had to have known. That didn’t sit well with me. “Did you know?”

He whipped his head around.

I grabbed him by the robe, pulling him closer. “Because I swear to The Fates, if you knew and didn’t say anything, didn’t help prevent the triplets—” I broke off, unable to say the words out loud.

I could have choked on every emotion pent up inside of me. Every regret, every memory, every moment they would never have…it could have swallowed me whole had it not been for the desire to take Zordon for everything he had.

To inflict upon him the animosity inside my soul.  

Soothe’s eyes flared in anger. “I would never,” he said, his voice so low I could barely make out his words. “Not everything is told to me. Not everything can be prevented. Life doesn’t work that way. The sooner you accept that, the better.” He stared at me for a moment longer, and then walked away.

Astral appeared a second later. I scanned over him, making sure he was okay. I didn’t see any damage. Good, then I could leave without having to worry about him.

“Zordon planned the attack on their foster mother as a trap to confront Aurora. He—” Astral started in, but I cut him off before he could continue.

“We need to get to the Amethyst Temple, my Liege. They have an elixir I need.”

Kaede looked taken aback. His eyes flicked between Astral and me. “Are you sure?”

“Absolutely.”

Astral’s fiery gaze seared against my face.

“Astral?” he questioned, waiting for his approval.

This irked me. “It’s not up to Astral,” I stated firmly, pulling Kaede’s eyes back to mine. “This is something I must do.” I turned this time, ensuring that Astral would understand. “With or without consent.”

His eyes narrowed, glowing ferociously. “Aurora—”

“She’s right, Astral. You are going to have to trust us. We know what we are doing,” Fenn added, uniting beside me.

“Just like you knew you would be able to save Mily on your own?” Astral shouted, nostrils flaring.

“It doesn’t matter!” I yelled with my eyes clenched shut, fists balled at my sides.

I couldn’t see straight; couldn’t think straight. All the pain and loss had finally exploded, and it exploded on him.

“This is my life,” I said, jabbing my finger against my chest, “my path to walk. You knew it the day you signed on to be my mentor. As much as you have tried to avoid it, life has caught up to me. I can’t run from it anymore. If you want me to have a chance, you’re going to have to trust me.” I turned away, refusing to wait for his approval.

Kaede looked caught in the middle. “Look,” he said cautiously, “why don’t we all take a moment to collect ourselves? If you are going, you should at least clean up first and check in on Mily. She is being cared for inside the Lyceum.”

I walked around him, storming away from everyone and their probing stares. Fenn caught my hand and stepped in time with me, equally upset.

“That was too close for comfort. He’s going to pay for what he did,” he said, his voice sounding like a mixture of everything that I felt. At least I wasn’t in this alone. At least I had someone who understood.

I looked over at him. Pain marred the beautiful lines of his face. He didn’t have to say their names for me to understand. The triplets would be avenged if it was the last thing we did.

“He will not win this,” I declared, feeling the blood boil inside of me.

Chapter 18

Priesthood is Not Sainthood

WE STAYED BY MILY’S SIDE until a knock told us it was time to go. Astral had avoided us. I didn’t blame him. I had basically thrown all of the years of comfort and trust between us away. I no longer considered his advice to be the answer.

It was time I started trusting myself.

“Will you be back soon?” Mily asked after her sobs subsided. Her face was as raw and puffy as my own. A few times Fenn had to step out of the room. I think he was trying to be the strong one for Mily. He didn’t want her to see his pain.

My heart slowly hardened.

“As soon as we can.” Fenn consoled her, rubbing the top of her hand. She didn’t know who had attacked her home or why; she only knew that the kids were asleep in their room one minute and half the house was missing the next.

I had to explain that it was a blow from a Cyclops. That sent her into another fit of tears.

“You will be safest here,” I assured her, offering a tissue.

She blew her nose into it. “I’m not worried about my safety. I never was,” she conceded, more pain filling her voice.

I leaned down and kissed her forehead, moving her raven colored hair away from her face. “Aloha au ia ‘oe,” I said in her native tongue.

She smiled, patting the back of my head. “I love you too, Anela.”

Masami came into the room and promised that she would stay with Mily and tend to her until we returned. I couldn’t think of anyone better.

We didn’t make it ten feet from her room before bumping into Astral, though I doubted it was accidental. He had plenty to say, starting with our attempt to go on a quest without telling him. Every detail he had picked from my mind. I was too tired to fight about it.

His voice went from yelling to short sentences to small noises I could no longer comprehend. This went on for at least ten minutes as we stood in the snow, our gazes drifting for a comfortable place to land. Finally, with one last grunt, he quieted and took a much-needed deep breath.

His glowing blue eyes dimmed as he pinched the bridge of his nose, inhaling and exhaling with forced effort. He had gone back and forth with his words, one minute scolding me, the next minute praising me. I understood how he felt.

I blinked away the snow that landed on my eyelashes.

“What I’m trying to say is,” he said quietly, his calm voice restored, “that fate has a funny way of testing us, I suppose. When everything happens all at once, that is when your true character will emerge.” He finally looked at me, his eyes brightening. “You can conquer this.”

When his arms opened, I ran into them, hugging him as tightly as I could. No matter how much he wanted to protect me, he had to accept the fact that it was time to let me go.

“I have to stop him, Astral,” I said against his stomach. “This is what I must do to set things right again. This is my destiny.” He rubbed the back of my hair.

“I know that now. As hard as it is to let you go, I know that for every small moment we have shared, there was always a bigger purpose waiting for you. You are the Progeny.”

I stepped out of his arms and back to Fenn’s side. He put his arm around my waist.

“Look at you both,” Astral continued, smiling down at us. Ever since the arrival of his fellow Ancients, he had stayed in his true, larger form.

I heard faint crunching steps in the snow before I felt a tap on my shoulder. I spun around and found lavender eyes wet with tears. “Dad,” I gushed as I pulled him into my arms. He felt smaller. He was so weak and lost without my mother. My heart felt like it was ripped open once again.

“I just wanted to see you before you left,” he said, his voice rough and dry. “You make me proud, you know that.” My lips quivered, trying to hold back the tears that were sure to fall.

Astral reached over and patted him on the back. “You should come out of your hole, Myrdinn. It’s not doing you any good.” His tone was nurturing.

Myrdinn looked up at him and smiled, but sadness flashed behind his eyes. He gave a negative shrug. “It’s hard.”

That was all he said. He had lost the love of his life. Astral didn’t press the subject.

He let me go and then headed back to his room. I wanted to go after him but knew there was no point. Nothing could fix the hole in his heart. I knew this because I felt the same when I thought about my mother.

“He will come around,” Astral said to me as we watched Mrydinn’s hunched form walk across the pavilion.

“I hope so” was the best I could manage without breaking down.

Kaede came down the Lyceum’s steps a moment later with a torch in his hand. Black fur lined the outside of his robe, tucked neatly under his neck. Underneath his furry goatee was a huge smile. His council followed behind. All except Albert and Ghandus.

We bowed to each other. A cool breeze carrying more snow drifted around us. I wanted to shift to my dragon form for warmth, but I didn’t have my armor on yet.

“Where are Albert and Ghandus?” I asked, shivering inside my jacket.

“They left with Lev,” Astral said. “They were his advisors when he was Liege.”

“Makes sense,” I said, leaning into Fenn for shared warmth.

“But never mind that,” Kaede chimed in with a small smile playing on his lips. “We have gifts for you to take on your journey.”

Banjamin held a small white box in the palms of his well-worn hands. His intuitive eyes smiled down at me as he handed me his gift.

“You don’t have to give me anything,” I said as I looked down at the box. My feet twisted in awkwardness, but they all continued smiling, their thin lips cracked and pale blue. I wished I could offer them some of my flame for warmth.

“Don’t be silly,” Kaede said with a hearty chuckle. His breath puffed out in small white clouds. “This is an honored tradition of ours when one goes on a quest. We would have done this earlier…had we known.”

My cheeks reddened. I looked over at Adam who kept his eyes to the ground, and wondered if Kaede had reprimanded Adam for not informing him of our quest. Snow dusted the tip of his mohawk, a shocking contrast against his black hair.

“Well, thank you all,” I said, uncertainty choking my words as I forced my attention back to the gift in my hands. Inside rested a small necklace. I carefully lifted it out. The golden light from the torch hit the tiny beads of jade, enhancing the beautiful, pale green color. I rubbed it between my fingers, enjoying the smoothness of the gems.

“It is for wisdom and protection.” Banjamin’s smile was large and filled with pride. What a fitting gift coming from him.

I handed it to Fenn and lifted my unruly hair off of my shoulders. He laid it against my chest and then clasped it around my neck, next to my amulet. Double the protection.

“It’s very beautiful,” I expressed, leaning in to give Banjamin a hug. He stiffened, but I hugged him any way. “Thank you. I have no doubt that this will come in handy,” I admitted with a grateful smile.

Mizu’s ebony eyes twinkled below his bushy white brows as he stepped towards me, but there was nothing inside of his wrinkled hands. He stopped directly in front of me, and then reached out, placing his left hand over my family crest.

I looked down, a confused expression spreading on my face. When I looked back up at him, his eyes were pressed closed. “I will gift the Progeny using my natural element, Mother Earth. But keep in mind, this blessing can be called upon only once.” The palm of his hand began to glow a light green color. Comforting heat radiated against my skin as he hummed to himself. The green surrounded my entire body, wrapping me in warmth and energy that looked like thriving vines of ivy.

I looked over at Fenn who was also covered in glowing vines. The energy had spread from me to him. “Now you both shall be protected under the watch of the earth,” Mizu said, his voice sounding deep.

“Thank you,” Fenn and I said in unison. We smiled at each other.

“You two younglings have a heavy future ahead of you,” Kaede said with caution. “For that, I present you with this.” He pulled a small white crystal from inside his furred robe. “It is enchanted and will communicate with this,” he said, pulling out another white crystal. “I will keep this one. If you two are ever in trouble, use the crystal by saying the code words ‘new dawn’ into it. It will automatically link to my crystal, enabling us to communicate right away with each other.”

I took the crystal and hung it on my jade necklace. “I thought we had to do this on our own. Now I see that we don’t. You have all been so kind to us. I don’t know how we will ever repay you,” I said with a bow.

“You could start by telling us what exactly you are questing for,” Kaede said with an awkward laugh.

I felt surprise trying to take over my expression, but instead I smiled broadly, quickly recovering. I put my hand on his shoulder and leaned in so that only he could hear. “Let’s just say the legends you’ve heard are true.” I squeezed his shoulder and then let go.

He looked dumbstruck.

After a short moment of shock, he shook his head, his face slowly returning to its normal demeanor. “If that is true, then you will repay us by ridding our realm of Zordon,” he said seriously. There was no amusement in his eyes.

“I fully intend to,” I said solemnly.

Astral cleared his throat, toying with his beard. We all looked at him. “After the task is complete, use the crystal at once to let us know. Then we will join you to begin our attack against Zordon’s army. To begin the final battle.”

“I will,” I said, feeling the weight of my mission settle on my shoulders.

“We will continue to gather men and alliances,” Kaede added. “Now that Lev has returned, I am confident he will be able to secure more help.” He looked over at Astral.

Astral’s features grew dark before he turned back to face me. “You will not be able to come back here until this war is over,” he concluded.

I froze in place.

“If you and Fenn succeed, Zordon will know. You will have to find him and end it or else he will.” The weight in his eyes told me that this was the root of why he had been so upset when I told him about my plan to bring Zordon down earlier.

Because once the bond was broken, I would no longer be protected. One of us would die by the other’s hand.

I could feel everyone’s eyes on me, waiting for my reaction, as if they needed to feel comforted in their preparation. I bit the inside of my cheek, pulling strength from the fear that lounged in the depth of my heart.

“Everything will play out as it should. As Iliana has planned,” I said, smiling sadly. A lot had to happen before even I would feel secure in this final battle.

Kaede straightened up and resumed his playful smile. “Well, good, now that that is settled, we can send you off in the appropriate manner.”

Lexi came over with Zane and extended her hand, ready to port us to the Temple. “Is everyone ready this time?” She received a collective nod from everyone but me.

I looked over her shoulder and caught Astral’s eyes. He looked like he was trying to be brave. When he noticed me staring, his face changed into a confident smile. He winked at me.

“We’re ready,” I said, swallowing what felt like crushed glass in my throat. Fenn, Zane, Adam, and I latched on to her arm. The world spun on its axis and then steadied itself. We stood directly outside of the Temple.

A flash of a wooden table with copper shackles crossed through my mind, followed by someone shouting, “Intruders!”

I turned just in time to catch the tail end of a wooden staff with my hand. The bald Priest’s eyes flashed with fear as they examined my shifted form.

“The-the Progeny?” he stuttered, dropping his staff. A hoard of Priests rushed out of the entrance, all bearing staves pointed in our direction. The man in front of me waved his hands in the air, trying to ward them off. “Stop!” he shouted. “The Progeny has returned. Stop, I say!”

The angry mob of Priests slowed as their faces filled with a mixture of confusion and fear. They parted down the center. One rounder Priest emerged from the middle of the group, wearing more markings on his bald head than the others.

His hands were clasped together at his waist, his protruding belly hidden beneath a beige robe tethered together by a piece of frayed rope. His eyes were black, as if there was no soul inside of him.

I gulped.

“Brothers,” he said through plump, moist lips, “we knew this day would come. Gather the rest and meet in the main laboratory.” He rocked on his heels, staring down the bridge of his nose at us.

The Priests surrounding us disappeared back into the Temple, murmuring to each other.

“Who are you?” I asked, brushing aside my fear with a confident tone.

His brows scrunched. “I am one of the five remaining Elder Priests and the only one who can help you with what you seek. That is, if you are willing.”